Surveillance systems are often used to monitor activity of a secure area. For instance, video cameras and other devices can provide visual, audio, movement, heat and other information that can allow a security guard to determine whether a secure area is being breached. Video cameras are often located behind transparent or semi-transparent surveillance domes to hide the camera's orientation, thereby making it more difficult for an observer to determine whether his or her actions may be caught on camera.
Modern video cameras offer high-power zooming capabilities that enable the cameras to focus on distant objects. The farther away objects are from a camera, the more horizontal the camera's orientation needs to be to keep the objects in the camera's viewing area. For cameras located behind surveillance domes, issues can arise when the cameras are oriented in a near-horizontal position. These issues include having a limited viewing area and/or reduced image quality due to optical aberrations introduced by surveillance domes.